Jays' John Farrell: Brett Cecil, Colby Rasmus must be better in 2012

John Farrell swung into town last week, spreading his New Year’s narrative. It is neither subtle nor surprising. For his team to contend in 2012, he says, Brett Cecil and Colby Rasmus must snap out of their 2011 stupors

TORONTO — John Farrell swung into town last week, spreading his New Year’s narrative. It is neither subtle nor surprising. For his team to contend in 2012, he says, Brett Cecil and Colby Rasmus must snap out of their 2011 stupors.

His narrative fans out from there, focusing first on a problematic rotation and pausing for a look at the question marks in left field, with a few other brow-knitting stops along the way.

Farrell’s conclusion: His Toronto Blue Jays, as currently constituted, have what it takes to win 10 more games and make the playoffs this year.

“We feel like we’re able to compete — and win the division,” the manager said in a radio interview last week.

On Saturday, while nearly 200 kids cavorted on the Rogers Centre turf during a team-sponsored clinic, Farrell said much the same thing, although he sanded off some of the sharp edges. The Jays, he acknowledged, will carry some serious unanswered questions into spring training.

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Chief among them are Cecil and Rasmus, the lapsed starter and distracted centre-fielder whose 2011 seasons piled frustration upon disappointment. They must do much better, Farrell said.

“That’s not to put the onus on them,” he said, doing just that. “I think they’re very well aware of it.”

Which means that he has told them so in recent conversations and naturally, they have agreed.

Cecil won 15 games two years ago, then lost velocity, fell apart and spent much of the season in the minors. He was not in peak condition, Farrell says, so his off-season challenge was clear.

Rasmus, a supposed five-tool player billed as a rising star, clashed with his manager and coaches in St. Louis, then was stunned when a three-team trade brought him to Toronto late in July. He did not hit. He got hurt. And in a late-season interview, he made it clear his mind was still roiling over his abrupt expulsion from a team that would go on to win the World Series.

In fact, Rasmus still ponders the mess he left in St. Louis, although not to the point of obsession, Farrell said. He believes Rasmus is in a good place, ready to embrace his new team and a fresh start.

The manager described his conversations with Rasmus as “upbeat.”

“The physical ailment [in] the wrist is behind him,” Farrell said. “I think some of the experiences in St. Louis are things that he reflects upon, but only looks forward at this point, and doesn’t look upon that as a distraction.”

Rasmus batted .173 with a .201 on-base percentage in 35 games for Toronto. Naturally, Farrell prefers to dwell on the 2010 season, when Rasmus hit .276 with a .361 on-base mark and 23 homers.

Farrell has little choice but to place high expectations on Rasmus, even though the 25-year-old made it painfully clear in that September interview that he resents the pressure such expectations bring. The manager is hoping he has turned a corner in that respect too.

Farrell says he has a lot to like. Canadian firebrand Brett Lawrie is back for a full season at third base. Kelly Johnson starts fresh at second base while playing for a free-agent payoff. Catcher J.P. Arencibia should benefit from a generally positive first year of big-league experience.

All of which serves to underscore the importance of an improved rotation.

“That is still the one area where we’ve got to make the greatest strides to add 10 more wins,” Farrell said, citing the 91-win plateau he targets for a playoff berth.

With 44 days before pitchers and catchers report to spring training, Anthopoulos is still mining the market for a reliable starting pitcher. Meanwhile, Farrell looks within, hoping Cecil or Kyle Drabek, or both, can step up behind Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow.

Drabek, the heralded rookie of 2011, battled pitch control and self-control, both in Toronto and Triple-A Las Vegas. He is only 24. If he and Cecil can bounce back, life would become much easier for the Jays.

Farrell’s narrative always includes a note on the need for more “quality innings” by his rotation. Last season Jays starters were ninth in the league in innings pitched.

They were also 11th in ERA (4.55) and second in total walks.

Romero says he is confident Cecil and Drabek will rebound from last year’s “wakeup call.” He has given them both pep talks.

“I feel like now they’re maturing, and it’s all part of the process,” Romero said. “Talking to them, they’re determined and I’m sure they’re going to come ready.”

That also is part of the winter narrative Toronto fans are accustomed to. But it all adds up to a familiar reality: This is a team with high hopes and precious little margin for error.

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